{"id":31512,"date":"2022-06-23T13:48:03","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T17:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=31512"},"modified":"2022-07-01T11:15:17","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T15:15:17","slug":"wellingtons-wellness-team-takes-health-movement-outdoors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wellingtons-wellness-team-takes-health-movement-outdoors\/","title":{"rendered":"Wellington\u2019s Wellness Team takes health movement outdoors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The global pandemic has had an impact on everyone\u2019s wellbeing, including physical and mental health. Now that they\u2019re able to interact face to face once again, the Wellness Team at Wellington Public School has mobilized their community to get back on track \u2013 and outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, the school\u2019s Wellness Team, alongside the Grade 4 class of teacher Amanda Bonura, were at Elizabeth Hader Park on Timpson Drive to put their principles in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur Wellness Team has been incorporating many different initiatives this year, especially with COVID, just really focusing on student mental health and boosting morale around the school,\u201d Ms. Bonura explained. \u201cOn Friday, we had a school-wide wellness day and after three years of not doing anything with the entire school all together, it was a nice, fresh revisit to the school dynamic in terms of working together, connecting with friends, connecting with nature, and all of the rotations really focused on student wellbeing, and getting mentally and physically active.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the stations was making pinecone bird feeders using a few simple ingredients and, just a few days after the Wellness event, the team and the class were at the park, which the school \u201cadopted\u201d in 2018, to place the feeders on trees they planted the spring before the pandemic hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur student leaders used pinecones and birdseed and it was nice for them to work with their peers in a stress-free environment,\u201d said Ms. Bonura. \u201cWe had some calming music playing and students were really able to connect with each other and with nature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpending time in nature helps your wellness a lot,\u201d said student leader Nargol Azimi. \u201cTaking time away from screens and giving time for yourself, your own thoughts, your own ideas, and really just reconnecting with yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added fellow leader Stella Shel: \u201cIt\u2019s also appreciating the world we\u2019re in and [the fact that] not everything is about school and video games. It can really help you reflect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last two-and-a-half years, this time for reflection has been very important for students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The teacher says she has \u201cdefinitely seen some negatives\u201d in terms of the social impacts of COVID amongst students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey haven\u2019t been able to play with their peers at recess because we\u2019ve been cohorted and they haven\u2019t had those same opportunities to connect with their peers the way they would have in the past with social distancing, not having groups, and doing more independent work. Now, as we\u2019re starting to open up and we\u2019re allowed to now get together and connect with one another, Wellness Day was a huge kick-off to that, to have the entire school together rotating through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a huge group, but they were still able to connect with peers they wouldn\u2019t typically see and just build on those friendships and those social relationships, which is a huge, huge aspect in supporting mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wednesday\u2019s visit to Elizabeth Hader Park wasn\u2019t just the culmination of their Wellness Day activities as the school year draws to a close, but it was also a chance to renew their school\u2019s commitment to the green space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re regularly on site to help clean up litter and to keep an eye out for any acts of vandalism, reporting things to who they should be reported to when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis has been a multi-year plan and commitment to Elizabeth Hader Park, which is why I thought it would be such a nice tie-in to revisit the trees we planted years ago, see how they\u2019re doing, see how we can continue to preserve the environment, not just for ourselves but for the animals and habitat around us,\u201d she said. \u201cWith our bird feeders, we\u2019re giving ourselves more opportunities to connect with nature, being mindful, intentional, and I think it was really important to have students create something for students to make it even more meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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